Elizabeth Flores, Star TribuneBacked by DFL and Democratic officials, Senate candidate Al Franken kicked off his campaign Monday on the steps of the State Capitol. Franken, who was endorsed by the party over the weekend, also headed out on a four-day tour of the state.

Noting that there were only 148 days left until the election, newly endorsed DFL Senate candidate Al Franken led a kickoff rally Monday on the steps of the State Capitol with a bluntly worded assessment of his rival, Republican U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman.

Coleman, he said, "hasn't brought people together to get things done. He's sold people out to get ahead." Minnesotans, he said, "need a senator who has their back. Norm Coleman isn't even on their side."

In what is expected to be a common refrain, Franken, who received his party's endorsement over the weekend, linked Coleman to President Bush, talking about the "Bush-Coleman recession."

The Minnesota race will be one of the hardest fought and most expensive in the country, between two moneyed candidates whose fundraising appeal extends well beyond the state.

Elizabeth Flores, Star Tribune

U.S. Sen Amy Klobuchar joined Franken in taking aim at Republican Sen. Norm Coleman at the rally.

Both candidates also have further fence-mending to do within their own parties.

Coleman is under pressure from some Republicans to go back on earlier votes against oil-drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge now that gasoline prices have reached dizzying heights.

Franken, meanwhile, must reach out to those still offended by earlier jokes about women, rape and other sensitive topics. U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, who had criticized Franken over a 2000 article for Playboy, was absent from Monday's rally.

Her chief of staff, Bill Harper, said McCollum "looks forward to meeting in the coming weeks with Mr. Franken to learn more about his campaign."

Franken on Monday kicked off a four-day tour of the state that will take him to Duluth, Moorhead, Alexandria and Winona.

Weeks after a veterans' health initiative received $2.1 billion in emergency funding, the Trump administration says the private-sector Veterans Choice health care program may need additional money as early as December to avoid a disruption of care for hundreds of thousands of veterans.

Decrying what he sees as political correctness run amok on college campuses, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Tuesday the Justice Department will ramp up its support for students who sue universities claiming their free-speech rights have been violated.